Matteo Berrettini celebrated his first competitive match since undergoing hand surgery in March with victory over Radu Albot at the BOSS OPEN in Stuttgart on Wednesday afternoon, but it wasn’t just the 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 result that had the Italian feeling satisfied at the German ATP 250 event.

“I feel good, physically especially,” said second seed Berrettini after seeing off an Albot comeback to seal the second-round win. “I didn’t take it for granted that I was stepping out and feeling good, especially after a surgery. I’ve never had one [before]. I’m really happy, I played three sets, so I’m feeling good.”

Berrettini underwent a minor operation on his right hand in late March after opening his 2022 season with a 9-6 match record that included a run to a third Grand Slam semi-final at January’s Australian Open. He holds fond memories from Stuttgart, where he lifted the trophy in 2019, but he was made to battle to maintain his unbeaten record at the grass-court event.

Back with a bang! 💥

Matteo Berrettini makes his return to the @atptour with a 6-2 4-6 6-3 win over Albot#BOSSOPEN @theweissenhof pic.twitter.com/VvYVN0Ehks

— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) June 8, 2022

A fast start from Berrettini saw him break the Moldovan qualifier’s serve twice to ease to the opening set, but the Italian was pegged back in the second as the World No. 121 rallied to level the match. Berrettini crucially fended off two break points to hold in the first game of the third set and took control from there to seal a hard-fought one-hour, 53-minute win.

“Obviously it wasn’t easy, especially mentally,” said Berrettini. “When you’re not playing a lot, you lose the rhythm a little bit. That’s why I struggled a little bit in the second set, but in the first games in the third I fought hard. I felt like I had to be there, I had to fight, and I’m happy to be through.”

Berrettini’s comeback will continue with a quarter-final clash with fellow Italian Lorenzo Sonego or home favourite Jan-Lennard Struff. The 26-year-old, who is a two-time Tour titlist on grass and reached a maiden Grand Slam final at Wimbledon last year, is pleased to be making his return on a surface he relishes.

“The grass is always one of my favourite parts of the season, so I’m [happy] to be here enjoying the grass and I’m pretty sure my level is going to get better and better,” said Berrettini. “Today was the first important step.”

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Also on Wednesday, Benjamin Bonzi claimed a 7-6(3), 6-2 win in an all-French clash with Arthur Rinderknech. Both players came into the match with a 2-2 tour-level record on grass, but it was Bonzi who raised his level to claim the first-set tie break before breaking twice in the second set to seal victory. He next faces fourth seed Denis Shapovalov or Oscar Otte.

In the remaining first-round match to be completed at the ATP 250 event, Nikoloz Basilashvili clinched the two games he needed against Lorenzo Musetti to book a second-round meeting with Nick Kyrgios.

Play was suspended due to rain on Tuesday evening with fifth seed Basilashvili leading the Italian by a set and 4-2, and he held his nerve upon resumption on Wednesday to complete a 7-5, 6-3 victory and reach the second round in Stuttgart for the third time.

After a sickening fall that dashed his Grand Slam hopes at Roland Garros, World No. 3 Alexander Zverev underwent successful surgery on his right ankle on Wednesday morning.

The German sustained ligament damage at 6-6 in the second set of his semi-final battle with Rafael Nadal at the clay-court Grand Slam last Friday. Zverev was taken off court in a wheelchair after three hours, 13 minutes of an epic encounter, returning on crutches a few minutes later to confirm his retirement from the match.

The injury ends Zverev’s strong push to claim the No. 1 spot in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings for the first time. He did not provide a timeline on his return to the Tour, but he is almost certain to miss Wimbledon, which begins 27 June.

“We all have our own journey in life. This is part of mine,” wrote Zverev via Instagram. “Next week I’ll reach a career-high ranking of number 2 in the world, but this morning I had to undergo surgery.

“After further examination in Germany, we received confirmation that all three of the lateral ligaments in my right ankle were torn. To return to competition as quickly as possible, to ensure all the ligaments heal properly, and to reclaim full stability in my ankle, surgery was the best choice. My rehab starts now and I’ll do everything to come back stronger than ever!”

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Zverev is set to rise to a career-high No. 2 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings next Monday, when ranking points from the 2021 edition of Roland Garros drop. The 25-year-old has lifted 19 tour-level trophies, a tally that includes five ATP Masters 1000 titles and two Nitto ATP Finals crowns.

Although he is yet to win an ATP Tour title in 2022, the German owns a 29-10 winning record for the season. He has reached finals in Montpellier and Madrid, and was a semi-finalist in Monte Carlo and Rome, as well as at Roland Garros.

Zverev thanked fans who had expressed support after his injury. “I am continuing to receive so many messages and would like to thank everyone once again for supporting me during such a difficult time,” he wrote.

After enjoying first-round doubles success on Monday at the BOSS OPEN in Stuttgart, Nick Kyrgios returned on Tuesday and started his singles campaign in similarly solid fashion…this time wearing the correct shoes.

After his bags went missing in transit en route from Australia to the ATP 250 event in south-west Germany, Kyrgios wore a pair of clay-court shoes in his first-round doubles win alongside Alexander Bublik. Luckily for the six-time tour-level titlist, he was reunited with his bags just in time for his maiden ATP Tour meeting with Jiri Lehecka.

“Everything came last night,” explained Kyrgios after his 7-6(3), 6-3 victory against the #NextGenATP Czech on Tuesday afternoon. “Today was the first time I wore grass-court shoes. I played my doubles in clay-court shoes yesterday… and still won!”

The World No. 78 produced an impressive serving performance to see off Lehecka. The Australian fired 18 aces and dropped just seven points behind his first delivery in a 77-minute win, sealed with a crowd-pleasing underarm tweener serve on match point that Lehecka returned long.

Sealed in STYLE 😂 @NickKyrgios #BOSSOPEN pic.twitter.com/HGrIAeIfdb

— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) June 7, 2022

“That’s what I have to do to win matches, serve big and play on my instinct,” said Kyrgios. “I’ve been hitting tennis balls in Australia on grass, so I’ve had some preparation. Obviously, nothing like a match, but I never really need matches under my belt to go out there and perform.

“I knew it was going to be tough. I didn’t have the best preparation here. My tennis bag didn’t come until yesterday, I didn’t have grass-court shoes, I had my clay-court shoes. There was a bit of adversity, but I’m feeling good moving forward.”

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Kyrgios is playing his first tournament since April in Stuttgart. He holds a 2-2 record at the German event, losing to the eventual champion (Roger Federer in 2018, Matteo Berrettini in 2019) on both previous appearances there.

“The atmosphere is great here,” said Kyrgios. “I like the crowd here. I’ve had some good memories here. Every time I’ve lost at this tournament, I ended up losing to the winner. So hopefully I don’t lose, and if I lose, that person knows they’re probably going to win the tournament!”

Kyrgios’ second-round opponent will be fifth seed Nikoloz Basilashvili or Lorenzo Musetti. Their first-round match was interrupted by rain in the second set, with Basilashvili holding a 7-5, 4-2 lead and 30/0 up on his own serve.

Andy Murray has high expectations for his 2022 grass season.

The Briton opted to skip much of the European clay swing to focus on his preparations for the grass. After opening his campaign at the BOSS OPEN in Stuttgart with a comfortable win over Australian qualifier Christopher O’Connell, the former World No. 1 believes he can already feel that decision paying off.

“In comparison to last year, I feel completely different,” said Murray. “Last year I was barely practising in the build-up to Queen’s, and when I was practising I was not moving [well]… I was not feeling good until about four days before Wimbledon, and then I actually felt fine. But my preparation was non-existent.”

Murray found some rhythm on the grass at the Surbiton Trophy in his homeland last week, reaching the semi-finals at the ATP Challenger Tour event. He believes match practice is key as he seeks another deep run this week at the ATP 250 in Stuttgart.

“This year I practised for three weeks on the grass, didn’t really have any physical issues that were stopping me in my preparation. I got a lot of matches last week, and hopefully some more in the next couple of weeks in the build-up to Wimbledon.”

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Even at 35 years of age, Murray’s desire to compete at the top level shows no sign of diminishing. Just as Rafael Nadal, a year his senior, has spoken of his desire to compete despite a chronic foot problem, Murray admits that his own long journey back from hip surgeries in 2018 and 2019 has not always been easy. Yet stepping out on court at the top level makes it all worthwhile for the World No. 68.

“[My motivation] comes from enjoying the sport, loving the sport,” said Murray. “My situation is a bit different to his [Nadal’s], with the operation that I had.

“I believe he is playing to try and break records and win the major events. Absolutely you have to love it and be willing to play through some pain as you become an older athlete, but I think it is easier to play through the pain when you are competing for major titles.

“For me the past four or five years have been very different to that, playing Challengers and my ranking dropped. I feel like our situations are different, but ultimately the reasons I am still playing are because I love the game, and because I still think I can compete right at the highest level.”

Murray has notched some impressive wins in 2022. He defeated Nikoloz Basilashvili and Reilly Opelka en route to the final in Sydney in January, and ousted Dominic Thiem and Denis Shapovalov in the only event he played on clay at the Mutua Madrid Open. The 46-time tour-level titlist believes he can still beat anyone on Tour on his day but admits he has not yet regained the consistency that took him to three Grand Slams and 14 ATP Masters 1000 titles.

“I have not shown that consistently over the past few years, but on one-off results, I have,” said Murray. “I’ve beaten a lot of the top guys in the world since I came back, but not consistently. I’m hoping now that with a period with no injuries and lots of tournaments, I’ll get back to doing that soon.”

With Nadal clinching a record extending 22nd Grand Slam title at Roland Garros on Sunday, Murray is happy to see players of his own generation still pushing for major titles. Murray also remains hopeful of a 26th tour-level meeting with Roger Federer, with the Swiss star set to make his return to the ATP Tour after knee surgery later at September’s Laver Cup.

“I would love to see Roger back playing again,” said Murray. “It’s always difficult to know when the end is.

“Obviously, people have been talking about it for many years. The next generation have come through, [but] the same guys are still winning the Grand Slams and I’d love to see Roger back competing again. I don’t know his situation, but I believe he will get back to competing. I don’t know how long for, but I really hope we can play another tournament together. It’s been a long time.”

Karen Khachanov hit the ground running on debut at the Libema Open in ‘s-Hertogenbosch on Tuesday afternoon.

The fifth seed broke four times in a 6-3, 6-3 triumph against World No. 82 Alejandro Tabilo, a win that improved his career grass-court record to 20-10. Khachanov was solid on serve throughout against the Chilean, dropping just two points behind his first delivery in the pair’s maiden ATP Head2Head meeting.

The 26-year-old Khachanov is hunting his first tour-level title since he became an ATP Masters 1000 champion at the 2018 Rolex Paris Masters. The closest he has come in 2022 is a run to the championship match in Adelaide in January.

The World No. 23’s next assignment in the Netherlands is a second-round meeting with Kamil Majchrzak, after the Pole completed a 6-1, 6-4 win over Dominik Koepfer.

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Jenson Brooksby was kept on his toes by home wild card Jesper De Jong at the Libema Open, but the American held firm to seal a 7-6(3), 6-3 victory on his first match on grass for 2022.

In his only previous tour-level event on the surface last July, Brooksby enjoyed a breakthrough run to a maiden ATP Tour final at the Infosys Hall of Fame Open in Newport. He will hope a similarly deep run on his first appearance in ‘s-Hertogenbosch can jump-start his season after he won just four matches across four clay-court tournaments in April and May.

Brooksby and World No. 144 De Jong exchanged breaks early in their first-round clash on Tuesday afternoon, before the eighth seed raised his game to take the first set tie-break. The American secured the only break of the second set to set a second-round clash with Hugo Gaston in the Netherlands.

Despite his moderate run on the clay, Tuesday’s win improved Brooksby’s winning record for 2022 to 12-8. The 21-year-old reached a second ATP Tour final in Dallas in February, and he currently sits at a career-high No. 34 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings.

Tallon Griekspoor notched the first tour-level grass-court win of his career in front of his home fans as the World No. 56 battled to a 7-5, 7-5 victory against Aljaz Bedene to set a second-round clash with Felix Auger-Aliassime. Dutch No. 1 Botic van de Zandschulp was unable to make it two local winners on Tuesday, however. The sixth seed started well against Emil Ruusuvuori but could not maintain his level as the Finn rallied to a 4-6, 6-2, 6-1 win.

#NextGenATP contender Brandon Nakashima prevailed in an epic all-American clash with seventh seed Tommy Paul. The 20-year-old dominated the third-set tie-break to clinch a 6-7(4), 7-6(5), 7-6(2) victory in the pair’s first tour-level meeting and reach the second round on tournament debut.

Nakashima currently sits in eighth position in the Pepperstone ATP Race To Milan, as he bids to qualify for November’s Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals for the second year in a row.

“It’s very exciting,” said the World No. 64 Nakashima after sealing his first tour-level grass-court win. “I think my game really suits the grass well, and that I could really do some damage this year.”

Also on Tuesday, defending champion Adrian Mannarino completed a tense 7-6(4), 7-6(9) first-round win against Italian qualifier Andreas Seppi. The Frenchman lifted his sole tour-level title at the last edition of the ‘s-Hertogenbosch event, held in 2019, and he next faces fourth seed Alex de Minaur.